Chapter 2: Page 53
One of the most interesting elements of writing a story within a world like this is trying to balance how much of the greater world we want to share with the personal beliefs of those we’re following. Last week, we got a minor reference to the legendary Ermehn hero, High King Aeslid, who some Ermehn believe Hardin is a reincarnation of. Ermehn religion is polytheistic, similar to the ancient Greeks, though different in that all Ermehn deities are based on individuals who were, at one point or another, mortal.
Hardin, as evidenced last week and this week, doesn’t appear to hold much weight to such things. He takes pride in his actions, and doesn’t like the idea of his great works being credited to somebody other than himself. This is where the balancing act between the wider beliefs of the Ermehn culture and Hardin’s own belief system come into play; figuring out just how much of each to work into the dialog is always a tricky situation if we want to keep the conversation moving at a realistic pace without characters expositing too much. As with real life, it’s also important to know that Hardin’s and Ashtor’s personal beliefs may not be the same as others around them, even if all Ermehn are brought up alongside a certain foundation of beliefs.
Speaking of bringing things up, you might have noticed a certain new link up at the top of the page!
That one right there! Give that there link a click and you’ll be taken straight into our BigCartel store, where you can grab the book, our Shark Hunter print, or an enlarged “mini-print” version of the postcard image Rachel and I showed around at NYCC last year.
I know a few of you have noticed it, because I’ve been sending out new orders of books EVERY DAY this week! The implementation of international orders a few days after the store went online resulted in EVEN MORE orders, which was totally awesome. Hopefully everybody who ordered their books gets them soon!
Oh, and for international readers looking to order stuff from the store, the USPS click-and-print service doesn’t appear to recognize non English-Standard characters like ß and ø. If you can, please make sure that your addresses are written in their English equivalents for maximum streamlineitude (I fudged it a bit with the first batch of orders, so hopefully everything works out okay there).
Next week there will likely not be a page right away — hopefully we can at least get a fun “Gone to Baltimore” image up :)
That’s right! Next week, Rachel and I will be at Baltimore Comic Con! In… well, BALTIMORE!
We’ll have a table set up in Artist’s Alley, number A106. It’s actually a pretty great spot, right on a corner near a main thoroughfare. We’ll have books and prints for sale, and we’ve also got more than enough bookmarks to last all three days of the convention (last time I ran out partway through the second day — whoops). If you bring your book, we’ll both sign it — Rachel will even do a little doodle in it! I’ll probably do my usual [insert sketch by a writer here] thing.
So remember! A106! That’s A as in Alex, and 106, which is the atomic number of Seaborgium. Now you’ll NEVER forget it!
I have a question. Why don’t the Ermehn just…leave? Aisling is an inhospitable frozen wasteland that apparently looks like it’s hard to live in. Why don’t all of the Ermehn just move south, to a place where they could have an easier time? Is it just out of stubborn pride?
Hi Hunter! So, after the Canid defeated the Ermehn and drove them into the Northern Wastes, the Canid shored up their defenses along the border between Aisling and the Wastes, effectively trapping most of the Ermehn up there. The Canid don’t abide by Ermehn in Aisling and will usually kill them on sight — hence the strong Canid military presence in Deltrada (which borders the Wastes).
It was already stated that what few Ermehn exist south of the wastes are either outlaws or slaves.
Like those bandits that waylaid our Sunsgrovian trio.
I still want to know what was up with the random Felis
The Felis show up wherever they want. You don’t tell cats what to do.
Seriously, he probably just worked his way across Dunia over the course of a few years. Heck, those Ermehn had to cross a land of hostile Canid patrols, I was more surprised to see them than that Felis guy. And I’m happy that he was there, because he’s the only Felis not shown in a background scene over the course of the entire comic. So far, anyway. We’ll probably see a few when we cut to Janik in Nessa. I’m sure there will be diplomats from other nations there. Though I’m not sure what the Canid use as diplomacy.
Oh Hardin, such a high stakes gamble you’re playing here.
You know, I can kinda understand what he’s feeling right now. Just the way he’s getting jittery at Ashtor about his own vendetta, it’s as if he’s trying to tell himself that what he’s doing is correct. His facial expressions show that he’s constantly steeling his mind; free from any worries and regrets. But it’s charming to see this glimpse of a struggle with his character, because it shows that even though for plot purposes he plays the role of an antagonist, you guys still write him with a realistic purpose and goal. It’s thanks to how you handle conversations with him that shows that like any other person, he’s still human (yeah I dont know how to word that when referring to animal characters).
And lol if this how Hardin behaves when discussing high stakes, I can just imagine how he’d act if he like…won the slots at the casinos in Las Vegas or something.
Hardin – “!!!Did you see that Ashtor!? I managed to get all 7’s! Look it all the money pouring!!. Do you see it now!!? That was ALL ME! ME! ME! ME!!! I BEAT THE MACHINE!”
Ashtor – “Yes…now we can finally pay off the huge debt you owe here….”
Hardin doesn’t seem to think much of the Ermehn in their current state, by calling them creatures instead of people. Then again maybe it’s an alienation technique to keep himself emotionally unattached?
I’d say it’s part of that and both part of that’s how far he believes they’ve fallen, and also shows just how desperate he is here, though the latter goes without saying.
Yeah at least that’s how I view it. I mean, he probably does think of the Ermehn like that, but at the same time he still knows that they’re his people. In a sense he wants to rebirth the Ermehn culture itself. It’s just like how many (please pardon me if this sounds offensive) people view current African American culture as “self-destructive”. With the Ermehn, the other races of Dunia view them as vagabond savages. And due to their current situation its easy for some to take in that sort of behavior just to survive. Of course there are people like Ashtor, who still retain hope in peace, but with the current state of things with them, those kind of people are hard to come by and thus makes Hardin see the bigger picture in things instead of focusing on the little details.
Granted, Hardin is no Martin Luther King and I do not agree nor support him in his actions.
Heh. Hardin Luther King.
Hardin, Luthier King – Stradivarius of Dunia.
…I’ll get my coat.
Hardin’s slogan is “I have a dream” and “my opponent had a dream.”
Hardin was that two year old who tried to pour his own milk and promptly spilled it everywhere
Do they even have milk bottles in this story?
(Shhhhhh)
He strikes me more as a Malcolm X guy really.
I think he is FAR more radical than Malcolm X, but I am going to reprimand Mister Varry for pulling the Hitler card on this story. Come on, you can do better than that!
I see what VarVau was getting at. Hardin’s dialogue hints, to me and maybe I’m wrong, that deep down he’s insecure. “a severe need to be noticed, watched, and adored” I think, hits it.
Hardin hun you’re scaring Sara and thus you are scaring me. (OK you’re scaring me even without the scaring Sara factor, but still)
Ashtor I love you and your fabulous snark. I love the interplay between him and Hardin
Rachel I know we constantly gush about your gift for drawing facial expressions but this page really showcases it. It’s beautiful. (and that lighting!)
I still insist that if we ever get an adaption that Jensen Ackles should voice Hardin (his work in Batman: Under the Red Hood was amazing) but Hardin’s line in the last panel is giving me serious Dante Basco vibes, and I will accept that substitute.
YES, HOLY SHIT YES! Jensen Ackles would do a perfect Hardin, oh my god yes. Under the Red Hood is among my favorite animated movies, and Jensen’s voice over of Jason Todd MADE that movie.
DC AND BWD, WHY DO WE NOT SPEAK OF THINGS MORE OFTEN???
But yeah, Jensen Ackles as Hardin please. The only downside is that a ton of the crazy SPN fans might flock over here. But then, if that happens, there’s always the Canid Inquisition~
Marvel.
*ducks chair*
@Fourth Master- Don’t you even pretend you’re going to get a chair thrown at you for liking Marvel. /Everyone and their grandma likes Marvel nowadays literally no one hates Marvel fans./
@VarVau- My DC and BWD comment referred to the fact that Laflenkenway and I were in those fandoms. DC fans are a LOT harder to find these days than Marvel fans. It wasn’t supposed to mean I wanted DC to take control of BWD, hellsteeth no! I like it the way it is. And while I happily fancast the voices, I wouldn’t want any adaptation from anyone unless Alex and Rachel were helming it.
>>”hellsteeth”
yeah, you’ve been sticking around me a little too much recently xP
Hardin cares enough about his people to fight back against the Canid and possibly ensure their completely (faster) annihilation if they lose, but he’s also disgusted and made desperate enough by their cultural fall to regard the Ermehn besides the Din surrounding him now as nothing more than creatures, husks parading around in tattooed pelts (though if he regards them as more than that, as his conflict is showing slightly, he’s certainly trying to stifle it so it won’t hurt more if he looses them and can convince himself he’s doing the right thing to ensure his race’s survival).
It’s certainly nice to see his range of expressions, even in conflict. And I’m very, very fond of Ashtor at this point, though that goes without saying. What can I say? I have a soft spot for the elders who serve as the still more compassionate foils to younger leaders of a desperate cause who have already crossed the line.
Woot! Just got the book. It gave me the perfect excuse to go back through some of the material so I could analyze Eira’s facial expressions during the Ermehn fight scene!
Why don’t you archive binge? Like I do every . . . week . . .
because the internet at the college suuuuckks. Seriously, the internet in Nicaragua was better!
For anyone interested, Dust: An Elysian Tail, is on sale on Steam. I missed it last time because I was abroad and hadn’t registered my credit cards, /I WILL NOT DO SO AGAIN
That’s right, Shield! Good catch! You can grab it here for PC/Mac/Linux: http://store.steampowered.com/app/236090/
It’s also coming out on PS4! http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/08/28/dust-an-elysian-tail-coming-to-ps4/
i have ordered a copy of the book just to let you know.
Update: THIS GAME IS EATING MY LIFE
I saw a couple of ads for this game before I learned that Alex was connected to it and I’m still trying to figure out what it’s about, or what species half of the main cast is.
Honestly, I have no idea what the main character is. I strongly suspect he’s a Felis but I have no proof b/c of his hat thing. And I’m only a fifth of the way through the game, so I haven’t met everyone yet.
As for the plot, the main character wakes up with no memory of who he is and the game is about his quest for his identity.
Haha, the species in the game run the gamut — but it’s not in the world of BWD (so no Felis or Tamian X)
Dust himself is based on a fox-like design, but Dean Dodrill (the creator of the game) didn’t have a specific species in mind. Some other species are easier to discern than others, but the divide in the game is between the “warmbloods” (mammals) and “moonbloods” (lizards).
Right, because, as we all know . . .
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ReptilesAreAbhorrent
Honestly, I’ve caught myself saying the BWD names for things instead of English lately- such as Canid when I mean wolf. I’m pretty sure our assessment of my obsession level from a few pages back still stands.
I figured cat because of the tail and a couple other spoilery reasons, but fox makes just as much sense in context. I haven’t even finished the game yet but I know it’s going to wreck me. (Like a certain webcomic.)
Sorry Fourth Master, but I see your trope and raise you a Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo. How can you find adorkable ninja turts abhorrent??
As for using the BWD names for things, well, I have a couple of other furry-related things going on in my head not set in the BWD world, so that isn’t a problem. Though it might be otherwise.
As for the reptiles, I’m not saying that’s how I feel, but I’m acknowledging that that is a stereotype that many people buy into. Heck, the name of the trope is a direct quote from Carolus Linnaeus, who invented the modern system of classifying life (kingdom, phylum, class, order. family, genus, species). So a lot of people don’t like reptiles.
Haven’t ever seen or read anything about the ninja turtles so no comment there.
My bad for not making the… not sarcasm but something in that vein?… clearer. I knew you didn’t mean it literally.
I’ll just say in my defense, I didn’t *exactly* adhere to the trope in Dust :)
(and here I thought we were going spoiler-free)
DANG IT ALEX I had managed to go all day without playing it but now the itch is back. If I start playing, I won’t stop until like 2AM and I have a paper due. >:{
(As a note, I beat Fuse last night. I can tell this game is going to wreck me. Beautiful writing and storyline)
I can never seem to remember to add games to my Steam account, but I’ll be sure to look this one up.
Any comments about the gameplay? Bad gameplay can wreck even a game with a great story.
I was a fan of the gameplay before I even came on board to do the story :) It’s a bit like a Metroidvania, where you explore a large 2D world and learn new abilities over time that let you access new locations, but it also has a very fast-paced combat system that’s very easy to learn. It’s entirely possible to pull off 100+ hit combos with little difficulty in the first 30 minutes of the game, for example.
Alex answered this far better than I could, so my only comment will be that I genuinely enjoy playing the game even independent of the excellent storyline. It WILL eat up your time if you let it.
Ok, thanks for the information.
(From what I saw in the trailer, I thought “Super Mario Brothers, but better!”)
Oh, I almost forgot – I had some actual critique to write: the motion lines in the bottom left panel look really out of place, probably because you’ve not used them before and BWD’s style isn’t very cartoony in the first place. I remember that in an earlier Hardin’s fight scene you used blurring to convey motion to great effect, so perhaps it could work here too?
How interesting…I’m the total opposite I guess. I thought the motion lines were pretty kewl.
Ooh. With that rain, I wouldn’t want to be an Ermehn right now. Wearing wool Tartans would be rather unappealing due to the weight and the itchy heat that would be given off.